Budgeting and Unschooling...
cmcchess
Hi!
I am curious how other unschoolers manage to allow their children to
pursue their interests while not spending a fortune. I feel like I am
too often telling them they'll have to wait until we have more money
for the things they want to do.
Thanks
I am curious how other unschoolers manage to allow their children to
pursue their interests while not spending a fortune. I feel like I am
too often telling them they'll have to wait until we have more money
for the things they want to do.
Thanks
Angela S.
Someone on another Unschooling list has mentioned over the years that
sending your kids to school is costly and she is right. If you sent your
kids to school you would be buying school clothes supplies, pictures,
cupcakes, books from fundraisers, and all sorts of things. Unschooling
isn't cheap but it's far more rewarding to spend money on things your kids
want and use than it is on school related stuff.
We'd rather spend money on things we like to do than expensive clothing or
fundraiser junk. Also, you need to think outside the box sometimes. While
riding lessons seemed out of our budget at one time, really looking into it
I found we could take them as frequently or infrequently as we wanted. You
don't have to be able to afford them weekly at most barns around here.
We're willing workers too and that helps at some places where they'll reduce
the cost of lessons in exchange for work.
Sometimes it all boils down to talking with other people who love the same
things you love and see what you can work out in order to be exposed to that
thing.
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
sending your kids to school is costly and she is right. If you sent your
kids to school you would be buying school clothes supplies, pictures,
cupcakes, books from fundraisers, and all sorts of things. Unschooling
isn't cheap but it's far more rewarding to spend money on things your kids
want and use than it is on school related stuff.
We'd rather spend money on things we like to do than expensive clothing or
fundraiser junk. Also, you need to think outside the box sometimes. While
riding lessons seemed out of our budget at one time, really looking into it
I found we could take them as frequently or infrequently as we wanted. You
don't have to be able to afford them weekly at most barns around here.
We're willing workers too and that helps at some places where they'll reduce
the cost of lessons in exchange for work.
Sometimes it all boils down to talking with other people who love the same
things you love and see what you can work out in order to be exposed to that
thing.
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Pat Knight
Don't think that you have to keep up with those who can afford more
expensive activities. Part of learning about the real world is
learning that we can't afford to do everything we want. My
twelve-year-old son helps to prioritize what activities we spend
money on. The amount of fun and learning is NOT proportional to the
money spent on the activity. The time you actively spend with your
kids is more important than the amount of money.
We also look for bargains and freebies everywhere.
Pat
expensive activities. Part of learning about the real world is
learning that we can't afford to do everything we want. My
twelve-year-old son helps to prioritize what activities we spend
money on. The amount of fun and learning is NOT proportional to the
money spent on the activity. The time you actively spend with your
kids is more important than the amount of money.
We also look for bargains and freebies everywhere.
Pat
>Hi!
>I am curious how other unschoolers manage to allow their children to
>pursue their interests while not spending a fortune. I feel like I am
>too often telling them they'll have to wait until we have more money
>for the things they want to do.
>
>Thanks
>
[email protected]
-----Original Message-----
From: game-enthusiast@...
Sometimes it all boils down to talking with other people who love the
same
things you love and see what you can work out in order to be exposed to
that
thing.
-=-=-=-
Right---what are their interests? Maybe we could help brainstorm ways
to do/get things or give examples of ways we have accomplished similar
things.
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://liveandlearnconference.org
"It's a small world...but a BIG life!" ~Aaron McGlohn. aged 6
________________________________________________________________________
Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email
and IM. All on demand. Always Free.
From: game-enthusiast@...
Sometimes it all boils down to talking with other people who love the
same
things you love and see what you can work out in order to be exposed to
that
thing.
-=-=-=-
Right---what are their interests? Maybe we could help brainstorm ways
to do/get things or give examples of ways we have accomplished similar
things.
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://liveandlearnconference.org
"It's a small world...but a BIG life!" ~Aaron McGlohn. aged 6
________________________________________________________________________
Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email
and IM. All on demand. Always Free.
Cara
> I am curious how other unschoolers manage to allow their children toWhat are their specific interests? Maybe we can brainstorm some
> pursue their interests while not spending a fortune.
ideas...
I take advantage of back to school sales to resupply our art cabinet
and make playdough myself (LOL). I shop at local thrift stores for
games, puzzles, etc. I belong to Freecycle.org in our local area and
sometimes just ask for things we are looking for (I got a piano this
way). Yardsales are a good place to look for things too.
Granted my children are still quite young - 4 & 7. But we try to set
aside a little money ($20-40) each week to do/get something "new".
Many times you just have to ask. My daughter was interested in
learning about the police. So we asked our neighbor (a state cop) to
arrange a walk through, etc. She got to ride in the car, sit on the
motorcycle, make the siren go, etc. It didn't cost a dime and she
loved it (she was 4 at the time).
Same goes for the fire station, local businesses, etc. Our local mill
also gives tours to show how rice is grown and harvested. Larger
cities often have free lunch time activities - like music in the
park.
Many museums and zoos have a reduced admission day or time too!
Sometimes, if you can get enough people together to count as
a "school" group you can get tours for nothing.
Cara :)
Lisa H
> I am curious how other unschoolers manage to allow their children toSpending a fortune is a relative term. Is it about not having enough money to do something or the cost of doing something you want to do that makes it seem a 'fortune'?
> pursue their interests while not spending a fortune.
If i have the money for it i never say no to my kids. If i don't have money for something now, we look at how we might be able to adjust our spending to make room for the activity, or are we willing to put time into raising money to pay for the activity, or we need to create ways to lower the cost of the activity. I spend time organizing events so that i can often cover our expense for the activity.
Learning to budget and making choices, prioritizing is real life learning.
Lisa Heyman
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
cmcchess
Thank-you for the advice! Our budget is just really tight, I always
feel like we have money troubles so it's hard enough just to put
food on the table. But we do have corners we can cut, and our
finances are getting better.
I just get anxious that if one of the kids wants to do something and
I can't afford it at the time they'll loose interest or just stop
asking altogether about anything because they'll know the answer.
Plus we get paid monthly so they have to wait till next month to see
if we get paid more then, or for me to start saving for that.
I haven't really been thinking a lot about this lately, except that
this month I was able to put aside some money for each of the kids
for when they show an interest in something that requires money. But
the money was so little, I'm going to try again next month, and the
next.....
Their interests:
Baking/experimenting in the kitchen
robots
computer games
jewelry making
ice skating
horseback riding
I can't think of them all right now, but since you all are willing
to brainstorm with me, I'll post any more as I see them!
Cathy
feel like we have money troubles so it's hard enough just to put
food on the table. But we do have corners we can cut, and our
finances are getting better.
I just get anxious that if one of the kids wants to do something and
I can't afford it at the time they'll loose interest or just stop
asking altogether about anything because they'll know the answer.
Plus we get paid monthly so they have to wait till next month to see
if we get paid more then, or for me to start saving for that.
I haven't really been thinking a lot about this lately, except that
this month I was able to put aside some money for each of the kids
for when they show an interest in something that requires money. But
the money was so little, I'm going to try again next month, and the
next.....
Their interests:
Baking/experimenting in the kitchen
robots
computer games
jewelry making
ice skating
horseback riding
I can't think of them all right now, but since you all are willing
to brainstorm with me, I'll post any more as I see them!
Cathy
[email protected]
In a message dated 8/22/2006 5:02:18 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
queen30@... writes:
Their interests:
Baking/experimentinBaking/experiment
robots
computer games
jewelry making
ice skating
horseback riding
I can't think of them all right now, but since you all are willing
to brainstorm with me, I'll post any more as I see them!.
Baking/experimenting in the kitchen - Watch the cooking shows on the Food
Network. Lots of great shows that lead to fun ideas. Some of our
favorities...Alton Brown shows, "Good Eats" and" Feasting on Asphalt" and
Ham on the Street. My son and I also love "Emeril Live." Consider growing
a few herbs and with a few purchased ingredients you can make a variety of
dishes. Baking can be very inexpensive. Garage sales are great for finding
your child their own sets of measuring cups spoons, cookie sheets and just
recipes are just a google away.
Computer games, jewelry making - See if your area has a Freecycle program.
I notice postings all the time of people offering craft items, video and
computer games.
Horseback Riding - My niece (12) recently developed a huge interest in
horses. Initially lessons were just way out of their budget. They called around(
for weeks and weeks) and finally found a feed store that knew a woman who
just wanted to have someone to ride with. She told them of a local place right
in the middle of our city where they have a park for barrel racing a couple
of nights a week. So now, my niece is learning to ride and the family goes a
couple of nights to watch barrel racing. In a few weeks, she is going to be
trying it herself. The local lessons were outrageously expensive but my
sister just kept on checking and calling places until she found a way for her
daughter to ride.
Gail
I
.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
queen30@... writes:
Their interests:
Baking/experimentinBaking/experiment
robots
computer games
jewelry making
ice skating
horseback riding
I can't think of them all right now, but since you all are willing
to brainstorm with me, I'll post any more as I see them!.
>>>>>>>>Some quick ideas for some of these.
Baking/experimenting in the kitchen - Watch the cooking shows on the Food
Network. Lots of great shows that lead to fun ideas. Some of our
favorities...Alton Brown shows, "Good Eats" and" Feasting on Asphalt" and
Ham on the Street. My son and I also love "Emeril Live." Consider growing
a few herbs and with a few purchased ingredients you can make a variety of
dishes. Baking can be very inexpensive. Garage sales are great for finding
your child their own sets of measuring cups spoons, cookie sheets and just
recipes are just a google away.
Computer games, jewelry making - See if your area has a Freecycle program.
I notice postings all the time of people offering craft items, video and
computer games.
Horseback Riding - My niece (12) recently developed a huge interest in
horses. Initially lessons were just way out of their budget. They called around(
for weeks and weeks) and finally found a feed store that knew a woman who
just wanted to have someone to ride with. She told them of a local place right
in the middle of our city where they have a park for barrel racing a couple
of nights a week. So now, my niece is learning to ride and the family goes a
couple of nights to watch barrel racing. In a few weeks, she is going to be
trying it herself. The local lessons were outrageously expensive but my
sister just kept on checking and calling places until she found a way for her
daughter to ride.
Gail
I
.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Michelle/Melbrigða
On 8/22/06, gailbrocop@... <gailbrocop@...> wrote:
made. My kids love that one. And 30 minute meals. Very fun!
place per "offer" I am special notices only on my free cycle and when
I am in need (or want) of something I will scroll through the past few
days before posting. Although I am more of the "offer" type person
than the "need"
at church or at the Y or fitness center or anywhere you go. YOu would
be surprised how often someone says, "Oh I can fulfill that need." I
do that with all kinds of things. The girls have been dying to learn
ballroom dancing, but none of the local studios offered to kids under
13 or the classes were so far out of our budget that I couldn't even
think of investigating it any further. So I started telling friends
how much my girls wanted to learn ballroom. One of my homeschool mom
friends takes ballroom from a new studio in town and talked to the
owner and now there is an affordable homeschool ballroom class
starting next week! Network! And don't be afraid to ask. I mean if
they say no you are no worse off than you are now. But there is
always the possibility that they will say yes!
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
>> Baking/experimenting in the kitchen - Watch the cooking shows on the FoodDon't forget Unwrapped! Great show about how different foods are
> Network. Lots of great shows that lead to fun ideas. Some of our
> favorities...Alton Brown shows, "Good Eats" and" Feasting on Asphalt" and
> Ham on the Street.
made. My kids love that one. And 30 minute meals. Very fun!
>Ditto. Just look at your local rules as to how many "Wants" you can
> Computer games, jewelry making - See if your area has a Freecycle program.
> I notice postings all the time of people offering craft items, video and
> computer games.
>
place per "offer" I am special notices only on my free cycle and when
I am in need (or want) of something I will scroll through the past few
days before posting. Although I am more of the "offer" type person
than the "need"
> Horseback Riding - My niece (12) recently developed a huge interest inLet friends and neighbors know about these needs as well. Tell people
> horses. Initially lessons were just way out of their budget. They called around(
> for weeks and weeks) and finally found a feed store that knew a woman who
> just wanted to have someone to ride with.
at church or at the Y or fitness center or anywhere you go. YOu would
be surprised how often someone says, "Oh I can fulfill that need." I
do that with all kinds of things. The girls have been dying to learn
ballroom dancing, but none of the local studios offered to kids under
13 or the classes were so far out of our budget that I couldn't even
think of investigating it any further. So I started telling friends
how much my girls wanted to learn ballroom. One of my homeschool mom
friends takes ballroom from a new studio in town and talked to the
owner and now there is an affordable homeschool ballroom class
starting next week! Network! And don't be afraid to ask. I mean if
they say no you are no worse off than you are now. But there is
always the possibility that they will say yes!
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
Deb
--- In [email protected], "cmcchess" <queen30@...>
wrote:
money troubles. Yes, things may be tight, really tight, but
sometimes feeling that it will "always" be as it is can stifle
living an abundant life (which has little to do with how much money
or stuff one has) and that can freeze up any creative thinking about
things to where it becomes "no we can't do that, we have no money",
no no no, negative, negative, negative instead of "gee that looks
like fun/looks interesting. I see that those doohickeys are really
expensive. Right now our budget can't afford those new doohickeys
but let's see if we can find some used doohickeys or maybe some of
those thingamabobs which are less expensive and very similar to the
doohickeys or maybe we can think up other ways to get the
doohickeys..." and set to brainstorming. Seeing the tight budget as
an opportunity to get creative rather than as an impediment to
exploring the world.
you are already starting to do (with putting little sums aside as
they are available - that's a GREAT start). Maybe even make yourself
a little notebook with names, phone numbers, websites, whatever,
contacts that you make in all sorts of areas. DH thinks it's kind of
humorous (in a good way) that whenever he or DS say "Gee it would be
fun/interesting to do/get/see such and such" I can usually come up
with a person, place, whatever that would fit the bill. Last night,
for instance, DH said he'd really like to get something to help make
more even slices of the fresh loaves of bread he's baking (bread
machine is back in use...hooray!). I said "they've got them out
there. I know Bed Bath and Beyond has them for sure." He chuckled. I
said "Hey, it's my job to keep my eyes out to facilitate what our
family is interested in, whatever that may be" This morning, knowing
that they exist, he has already found (a) commercially made ones,
both good and bad (checked the reviews) (b) plans for making one
himself out of assorted pieces of wood. Sometimes simply validating
that "yes, that thing/interest/whatever is out there, we can go
look" is enough to keep things moving until such time as you can go
out and do/get whatever it is.
white "yes we can/no we can't" there's a whole range of "well, we
can't buy a horse but we can go visit the horses over at the
farm", "we can't buy a horse right now, but we can look into what
horse shows are near us", "hmm we can't buy a horse yet but maybe
you could start helping out over at so-and-so's where there are
horses", "maybe so-and-so would trade riding time for help in the
stable", and so on...
no, this is less likely to happen.
not quite as binding as you seem to see it. They *don't* have to
wait until next month for you to "start" saving for things since
you've *already begun* saving for things.
time. A mustard seed, tiny little thing, can grow to become one of
the largest trees around.
do it - even if it's $1 in loose change from the couch cushions.
of expensive, how can we make this recipe with a less expensive
ingredient? or, gee, our favorite BBQ sauce is $3 for a small
bottle, let's try to make our own... (cans of tomato sauce or home
made tomato sauce, plus some seasonings that you usually have on
hand, tends to come out way cheaper than pre-made). And so on. For
instance, our favorite whole grain oat bread is close to $3 per loaf
(and a small loaf at that). BUT unbleached all purpose flour, whole
wheat flour, and oat bran flour are all available at the grocery
store. $5 or $6 worth of flours plus water, yeast, etc can make
dozens and dozens of loaves that are even fresher and tastier than
that $3 loaf. Back when DH was in college (talk about shoestring
budgets...and we also got paid once a month there - we both worked
for the university and they paid once a month), Saturday was "Dough
Day" - we'd make two loaves of bread (by hand back then, couldn't
afford a bread machine), a stack of flour tortillas, and maybe some
pizza dough or fresh bagels - all the flour and yeast type stuff for
the week. It saved money (back then I worked it out that while one
loaf of decent bread at the grocery cost $2-$3, we could bake a
fresh homemade loaf for about $1)
There are lots of websites with recipes...just about anything you
can think of. Maybe even try out different types of ethnic foods
with a twist. Most every culture has something wrapped in some form
of dough (ravioli, pierogi, potstickers, empanadas, etc) - the
fillings vary but the basic doughs are pretty simple flour, oil,
water type combinations. Cheap, but filling and tasty.
be expensive) BUT look for robotics teams/competitions in your area -
even if you just go to watch sometimes. Check out ebay (or local
second hand stores) for a used, but working, Lego mindstorms set.
trade in games for other games. If we have a game that isn't being
used, we return it for store credit toward another used game.
Sometimes they run deals like return 3 games get a used game free.
For stuff that is no longer of interest, it works well. Also, check
into websites like NeoPets and such which have all sorts of games to
play and are FREE.
beads made of wrapping paper rolled tightly and strung on fishing
line (which is pretty cheap to buy). If you want more info on that,
let me know (here or directly via my profile info) - DH made a 6
foot long garland out of old holiday catalogs for last Christmas -
so I could pass along how he did it - basically it cost no new money
since we already had the fishing line, the glue sticks, the catalogs
(they come by the handfuls for free), the scissors, and the bamboo
skewers (he used a skewer as the center to make sure the hole in the
middle for stringing it stayed open).
spring when folks are getting rid of kids' skates that they know the
kids won't be wearing next season). Where we are (New England) it's
common for towns to build a rink on the town green for people to use
(they build a perimeter then flood it with a firehose and let it
freeze). Lakes and ponds are free (just make sure they're also
safe). Also check with relatives and friends to see if they have
skates they aren't using, if they know of places that are
inexpensive to skate indoors, and so on. Sometimes town parks & rec
departments will have beginner skating lessons pretty inexpensively
for town residents.
other folks who are into riding will have other ideas. Maybe trade
childcare for the instructor with lessons for your horse enthusiast.
or housework. or baked goods. whatever. Barter!
The basic idea in all of this is that there are more ways than just
straight out paying new money for brand new things. A life of
abundance can happen with very little money.
--Deb
wrote:
>Something to maybe consider, this "always feeling" like you have
> Thank-you for the advice! Our budget is just really tight, I
>always
> feel like we have money troubles so it's hard enough just to put
> food on the table.
money troubles. Yes, things may be tight, really tight, but
sometimes feeling that it will "always" be as it is can stifle
living an abundant life (which has little to do with how much money
or stuff one has) and that can freeze up any creative thinking about
things to where it becomes "no we can't do that, we have no money",
no no no, negative, negative, negative instead of "gee that looks
like fun/looks interesting. I see that those doohickeys are really
expensive. Right now our budget can't afford those new doohickeys
but let's see if we can find some used doohickeys or maybe some of
those thingamabobs which are less expensive and very similar to the
doohickeys or maybe we can think up other ways to get the
doohickeys..." and set to brainstorming. Seeing the tight budget as
an opportunity to get creative rather than as an impediment to
exploring the world.
>And that anxiety helps...who? Drop the anxiety and make plans, as
> I just get anxious
you are already starting to do (with putting little sums aside as
they are available - that's a GREAT start). Maybe even make yourself
a little notebook with names, phone numbers, websites, whatever,
contacts that you make in all sorts of areas. DH thinks it's kind of
humorous (in a good way) that whenever he or DS say "Gee it would be
fun/interesting to do/get/see such and such" I can usually come up
with a person, place, whatever that would fit the bill. Last night,
for instance, DH said he'd really like to get something to help make
more even slices of the fresh loaves of bread he's baking (bread
machine is back in use...hooray!). I said "they've got them out
there. I know Bed Bath and Beyond has them for sure." He chuckled. I
said "Hey, it's my job to keep my eyes out to facilitate what our
family is interested in, whatever that may be" This morning, knowing
that they exist, he has already found (a) commercially made ones,
both good and bad (checked the reviews) (b) plans for making one
himself out of assorted pieces of wood. Sometimes simply validating
that "yes, that thing/interest/whatever is out there, we can go
look" is enough to keep things moving until such time as you can go
out and do/get whatever it is.
>that if one of the kids wants to do somethingwhen/if this arises, brainstorm about it a bit. It's not black &
white "yes we can/no we can't" there's a whole range of "well, we
can't buy a horse but we can go visit the horses over at the
farm", "we can't buy a horse right now, but we can look into what
horse shows are near us", "hmm we can't buy a horse yet but maybe
you could start helping out over at so-and-so's where there are
horses", "maybe so-and-so would trade riding time for help in the
stable", and so on...
>andAgain, if you're exploring and brainstorming instead of just saying
> I can't afford it at the time they'll loose interest or just stop
> asking altogether about anything because they'll know the answer.
no, this is less likely to happen.
> so they have to wait till next month to >seeSee there, you're second sentence shows that the first sentence is
> if we get paid more then, or for me to start saving for that.
>
> except that
> this month I was able to put aside some money for each of the kids
> for when they show an interest in something that requires money.
not quite as binding as you seem to see it. They *don't* have to
wait until next month for you to "start" saving for things since
you've *already begun* saving for things.
>ButSo what? A penny, at even modest interest, can grow mightily over
> the money was so little,
time. A mustard seed, tiny little thing, can grow to become one of
the largest trees around.
>I'm going to try again next month, and theAs the great philosopher Yoda said "There is no try, only do". Just
> next.....
do it - even if it's $1 in loose change from the couch cushions.
> Their interests:This is a great place to extend the budget - if ingredient A is kind
> Baking/experimenting in the kitchen
of expensive, how can we make this recipe with a less expensive
ingredient? or, gee, our favorite BBQ sauce is $3 for a small
bottle, let's try to make our own... (cans of tomato sauce or home
made tomato sauce, plus some seasonings that you usually have on
hand, tends to come out way cheaper than pre-made). And so on. For
instance, our favorite whole grain oat bread is close to $3 per loaf
(and a small loaf at that). BUT unbleached all purpose flour, whole
wheat flour, and oat bran flour are all available at the grocery
store. $5 or $6 worth of flours plus water, yeast, etc can make
dozens and dozens of loaves that are even fresher and tastier than
that $3 loaf. Back when DH was in college (talk about shoestring
budgets...and we also got paid once a month there - we both worked
for the university and they paid once a month), Saturday was "Dough
Day" - we'd make two loaves of bread (by hand back then, couldn't
afford a bread machine), a stack of flour tortillas, and maybe some
pizza dough or fresh bagels - all the flour and yeast type stuff for
the week. It saved money (back then I worked it out that while one
loaf of decent bread at the grocery cost $2-$3, we could bake a
fresh homemade loaf for about $1)
There are lots of websites with recipes...just about anything you
can think of. Maybe even try out different types of ethnic foods
with a twist. Most every culture has something wrapped in some form
of dough (ravioli, pierogi, potstickers, empanadas, etc) - the
fillings vary but the basic doughs are pretty simple flour, oil,
water type combinations. Cheap, but filling and tasty.
> robotsMaking them might be tough on your own (the hardware and tools can
be expensive) BUT look for robotics teams/competitions in your area -
even if you just go to watch sometimes. Check out ebay (or local
second hand stores) for a used, but working, Lego mindstorms set.
> computer gamesFind your local GameStop type store where you can get used games AND
trade in games for other games. If we have a game that isn't being
used, we return it for store credit toward another used game.
Sometimes they run deals like return 3 games get a used game free.
For stuff that is no longer of interest, it works well. Also, check
into websites like NeoPets and such which have all sorts of games to
play and are FREE.
> jewelry makingTry paper jewelry. I have a beautiful necklace a friend made that is
beads made of wrapping paper rolled tightly and strung on fishing
line (which is pretty cheap to buy). If you want more info on that,
let me know (here or directly via my profile info) - DH made a 6
foot long garland out of old holiday catalogs for last Christmas -
so I could pass along how he did it - basically it cost no new money
since we already had the fishing line, the glue sticks, the catalogs
(they come by the handfuls for free), the scissors, and the bamboo
skewers (he used a skewer as the center to make sure the hole in the
middle for stringing it stayed open).
> ice skatingSkates can be found at second hand shops often (especially in the
spring when folks are getting rid of kids' skates that they know the
kids won't be wearing next season). Where we are (New England) it's
common for towns to build a rink on the town green for people to use
(they build a perimeter then flood it with a firehose and let it
freeze). Lakes and ponds are free (just make sure they're also
safe). Also check with relatives and friends to see if they have
skates they aren't using, if they know of places that are
inexpensive to skate indoors, and so on. Sometimes town parks & rec
departments will have beginner skating lessons pretty inexpensively
for town residents.
> horseback ridingtrade stable labor for riding lessons for one idea and I'm sure
other folks who are into riding will have other ideas. Maybe trade
childcare for the instructor with lessons for your horse enthusiast.
or housework. or baked goods. whatever. Barter!
The basic idea in all of this is that there are more ways than just
straight out paying new money for brand new things. A life of
abundance can happen with very little money.
--Deb
Michelle/Melbrigða
On 8/23/06, Deb <soggyboysmom@...> wrote:
really tight (and thanks to rising gas prices, home insurance costs
and property tax we are heading that way again!):
1. Budget (yes; really budget take it out every period) a certain
amount of money for "fun" Be it $20 a week or $50 a paycheck.
Whatever it is, budget it in. Whatever is leftover at the end of that
period goes into the "savings jar." (We made it to Disney one year
doing this!)
2. Don't use your change. Take all your change at the end of the day
and put it in your "savings jar." You will be surprised how quickly
it grows. Get in the habit of looking for lost change on the
sidewalk. If you look for it you will find it!
3. Reward yourself for not eating out. You could spend $20+ on fast
food for food that would cost you $10 to buy and cook yourself (with
better portions and more healthy foods). So throw that extra $10 you
didn't spend into your "savings jar." I hate eating out because I'm
rarely satisfied (taste wise) and always overstuffed because I still
have that "clean plate mentality" leftover from my childhood!)
4. Budget in money for your kids to be able to control. Call it
allowance (with no strings attached) or "payday" or whatever works for
your family. Just give it to them so that they can save it, spend it
or give it. With them having control over money many "gimme's" go
away.
5. I used to reward myself for losing weight. I had joined Weight
Watchers and would reward myself $3-$5 for every pound I lost. Then I
decided that I only felt badly when I didn't lose weight (or (gasp)
gained weight) so I started rewarding myself just for going to
meetings. Then I found the meetings really uninspiring and hated
going. So then I rewarded myself for staying on points. And then I
quit dieting. So I don't really recommend this anymore LOL!!
6. Find inexpensive meals that you substitute for a more expensive
meal each week. Our family loves grilled cheese sandwiches so when we
are in "savings mode" we had soup and grilled cheese one night a week.
You could do soup and salads or "lunch fare" or homemade pizzas.
7. Learn the rules of "the grocery game" ( http://www.grocerygame.com
) They have a "field guide" which is cheaper than joining which can
teach you how to do the system. Although, I found the $10 every 6
weeks well worth learning how to "play" We invested in a freezer so
we could take advantage of meat sales and other good produce sales.
We have enough groceries in our house to feed us for several weeks
(sans milk, eggs, bread and fresh produce) without having to go
shopping and we have spent no more than we normally would (and I
didn't have to shop at Walmart to do so - I LOATHE that store!) Buy
combining sales and coupons and stock piling you can drastically cut
your budget!
OK< that's all I can think of right now. I used to have a huge file
when I used to write for a Disney newsletter, but very few of them are
relevant to unschooling lifestyle anymore. (things like rewarding the
whole family for good grades or for completing homework, etc.)
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
>These are some things I used to do when I was saving when money was
> >I'm going to try again next month, and the
> > next.....
> As the great philosopher Yoda said "There is no try, only do". Just
> do it - even if it's $1 in loose change from the couch cushions.
>
really tight (and thanks to rising gas prices, home insurance costs
and property tax we are heading that way again!):
1. Budget (yes; really budget take it out every period) a certain
amount of money for "fun" Be it $20 a week or $50 a paycheck.
Whatever it is, budget it in. Whatever is leftover at the end of that
period goes into the "savings jar." (We made it to Disney one year
doing this!)
2. Don't use your change. Take all your change at the end of the day
and put it in your "savings jar." You will be surprised how quickly
it grows. Get in the habit of looking for lost change on the
sidewalk. If you look for it you will find it!
3. Reward yourself for not eating out. You could spend $20+ on fast
food for food that would cost you $10 to buy and cook yourself (with
better portions and more healthy foods). So throw that extra $10 you
didn't spend into your "savings jar." I hate eating out because I'm
rarely satisfied (taste wise) and always overstuffed because I still
have that "clean plate mentality" leftover from my childhood!)
4. Budget in money for your kids to be able to control. Call it
allowance (with no strings attached) or "payday" or whatever works for
your family. Just give it to them so that they can save it, spend it
or give it. With them having control over money many "gimme's" go
away.
5. I used to reward myself for losing weight. I had joined Weight
Watchers and would reward myself $3-$5 for every pound I lost. Then I
decided that I only felt badly when I didn't lose weight (or (gasp)
gained weight) so I started rewarding myself just for going to
meetings. Then I found the meetings really uninspiring and hated
going. So then I rewarded myself for staying on points. And then I
quit dieting. So I don't really recommend this anymore LOL!!
6. Find inexpensive meals that you substitute for a more expensive
meal each week. Our family loves grilled cheese sandwiches so when we
are in "savings mode" we had soup and grilled cheese one night a week.
You could do soup and salads or "lunch fare" or homemade pizzas.
7. Learn the rules of "the grocery game" ( http://www.grocerygame.com
) They have a "field guide" which is cheaper than joining which can
teach you how to do the system. Although, I found the $10 every 6
weeks well worth learning how to "play" We invested in a freezer so
we could take advantage of meat sales and other good produce sales.
We have enough groceries in our house to feed us for several weeks
(sans milk, eggs, bread and fresh produce) without having to go
shopping and we have spent no more than we normally would (and I
didn't have to shop at Walmart to do so - I LOATHE that store!) Buy
combining sales and coupons and stock piling you can drastically cut
your budget!
OK< that's all I can think of right now. I used to have a huge file
when I used to write for a Disney newsletter, but very few of them are
relevant to unschooling lifestyle anymore. (things like rewarding the
whole family for good grades or for completing homework, etc.)
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
Deb
--- In [email protected], "Michelle/Melbrigða"
<pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
quality foods and dontcha know they cost more (organic, whole grain,
non-sugar, HFCS, lard, and sodium laden products). That's what got
DH to pull out the bread machine and find a convenient home for it
so it can be used a lot (I think it's done 3 loaves in the last 4
days or so - because they are getting eaten right up, which is good,
it tends to mold quickly without all those preservatives when the
weather gets humid).
before we got married. We'd put $10 each (total $20) each payday
into an envelope. That was our 'going out' money. We could do
whatever, but when it was gone that was it until next payday.
Sometimes we'd leave it there to accumulate for a couple paydays and
go out someplace fancy. Back then, we'd go to the dollar theater to
see second run movies - we'd stop at Burger King and order one meal
and an extra cheeseburger for dinner then pay $5 (okay so it was
like $2.50 per movie not $1...) for the movie - the whole evening
came to about $10. Since we got paid every other week, $10 per week
worked out well.
bank. He saves it up pretty much all year then we take it to the
bank and exchange it for cash come September when the Big E fair
opens (it's an all-New England state fair thing that runs for about
3 weeks). Last year he had roughly $40 in his pig to use at the fair
(plus the allowance he had saved up - he had roughly $70 to use as
he saw fit at the fair).
that's when I pay bills. I kept forgetting when it was weekly so we
agreed that he'd get the two weeks' worth at once each time I got
paid. He's usually the only one in the house with cash on hand (but
then again, DH and I leave the money in the bank until we need to
use it for something rather than carrying it around).
try to store all leftovers so they don't slip into oblivion and
become science experiments. Then somewhere late in the week (Friday,
Saturday, Sunday) we'll have a leftover night where we pull it all
out and mix and match.
Oh, and other 'savings mode' dinners could be things like pancakes
for dinner. Sometimes we even do cereal (warm or cold, individual
choice) for dinner on weekends since we're usually all tuckered out
by evening.
can also save bundles of money if you've traditionally been big on
the meat menu. We typically have a couple of pounds of ground meat
(preferably turkey but whatever was at a good price will do) and one
or two whole chickens and a package of thighs or breasts in the
freezer maybe some hot dogs and that's it. Things like stir frys and
fajitas can feed a family of 5 or 6 on 1 lb of meat. Ditto for
beanful chilis and veggie ful stews. Our one big budget item in this
area is buying fresh fish - and using it the next day (so it doesn't
get fishy). Right now, too, we are spending more for milk with
deliberation because it is from a local farmer's co-op (one of the
farms is about a mile up the road from us). We want it to stay a
family farm and not get condo'd or whatever so we are specifically
willing to pay more for it - and it is also helping us to cut back
some on our dairy intake as well. We get a set amount each week and
when it's gone, that's it until the next shopping trip (for milk and
fresh stuff).
Another thing that I used to do (back in the poor college days when
gas was cheap - we lived in OK and back then gas was about 60 to 75
cents per gallon, it hit $1 and we were shocked): shop at more than
one grocery store. There was one store that had good, inexpensive
meats, another that had really good sales on canned and frozen foods
most of the time, and a third where I'd buy the produce and dairy
products. I'd also add a stop as needed at a local whole
foods/healthy foods market (Akins for any of y'all out that way) for
things like whole grain flours and such. And, I'd do a stop at Sam's
Club for bulk items like toilet paper and cleaning supplies - that
was roughly once a quarter or so. So, while DH was at home making
dough stuff on Saturdays, I would spend several hours going from
store to store - for each store, I'd write the list on the outside
of a plain white business envelope and tuck in any "saver card" and
coupons for that store. when I arrived at the location, I'd grab the
appropriately labelled envelope and go. It took time, for sure,
since I'd make the list of what we needed to buy, then I'd check all
the circulars for where to get each item, cut coupons, and do all
that on Friday evening. Then I'd take it all and head out Saturday
after breakfast (between 8 and 9 usually) and I'd get home somewhere
between 11 and 12. Back then we had lots more time than we did money
(and it was before DS was born). Now we have more money and less
time.
Speaking of which, looking around online to find alternative ways of
cleaning around the house (vinegar and water rubbed with a sheet of
newsprint is supposed to be great for cleaning glass for example)
would cut the really expensive household cleanser budget. Oh, and we
picked up a big pack of 'bar rags' (or 'bar towels') at Sam's Club a
while back - basic, cheap, white, cotton/terry washcloths like they
use to wipe bars with. They are reusable (ours are still going
strong after about 2 years or more) and can handle everything from
scrubbing the sink to washing grubby feet to dusting the furniture
to being used for blowing noses during allergy and flu seasons.
--Deb
<pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
>Don't I know it! Plus we're really working hard to eat better
>
> These are some things I used to do when I was saving when money was
> really tight (and thanks to rising gas prices, home insurance costs
> and property tax we are heading that way again!):
quality foods and dontcha know they cost more (organic, whole grain,
non-sugar, HFCS, lard, and sodium laden products). That's what got
DH to pull out the bread machine and find a convenient home for it
so it can be used a lot (I think it's done 3 loaves in the last 4
days or so - because they are getting eaten right up, which is good,
it tends to mold quickly without all those preservatives when the
weather gets humid).
> 1. Budget (yes; really budget take it out every period) a certainDH and I did that back when when we were trying to pay off my car
> amount of money for "fun" Be it $20 a week or $50 a paycheck.
> Whatever it is, budget it in. Whatever is leftover at the end of
>that
> period goes into the "savings jar." (We made it to Disney one year
> doing this!)
before we got married. We'd put $10 each (total $20) each payday
into an envelope. That was our 'going out' money. We could do
whatever, but when it was gone that was it until next payday.
Sometimes we'd leave it there to accumulate for a couple paydays and
go out someplace fancy. Back then, we'd go to the dollar theater to
see second run movies - we'd stop at Burger King and order one meal
and an extra cheeseburger for dinner then pay $5 (okay so it was
like $2.50 per movie not $1...) for the movie - the whole evening
came to about $10. Since we got paid every other week, $10 per week
worked out well.
> 2. Don't use your change. Take all your change at the end of theAll change in our house is "pig food" - it goes in DS pig shaped
>day
> and put it in your "savings jar." You will be surprised how
>quickly
> it grows. Get in the habit of looking for lost change on the
> sidewalk. If you look for it you will find it!
bank. He saves it up pretty much all year then we take it to the
bank and exchange it for cash come September when the Big E fair
opens (it's an all-New England state fair thing that runs for about
3 weeks). Last year he had roughly $40 in his pig to use at the fair
(plus the allowance he had saved up - he had roughly $70 to use as
he saw fit at the fair).
> 4. Budget in money for your kids to be able to control. Call itDefinitely. DS gets "paid" on the same schedule I get paid - because
> allowance (with no strings attached) or "payday" or whatever works
>for
> your family. Just give it to them so that they can save it, spend
>it
> or give it. With them having control over money many "gimme's" go
> away.
that's when I pay bills. I kept forgetting when it was weekly so we
agreed that he'd get the two weeks' worth at once each time I got
paid. He's usually the only one in the house with cash on hand (but
then again, DH and I leave the money in the bank until we need to
use it for something rather than carrying it around).
> 6. Find inexpensive meals that you substitute for a more expensiveAnd don't forget leftovers! We have one shelf in the fridge where we
> meal each week. Our family loves grilled cheese sandwiches so
>when we
> are in "savings mode" we had soup and grilled cheese one night a
>week.
> You could do soup and salads or "lunch fare" or homemade pizzas.
try to store all leftovers so they don't slip into oblivion and
become science experiments. Then somewhere late in the week (Friday,
Saturday, Sunday) we'll have a leftover night where we pull it all
out and mix and match.
Oh, and other 'savings mode' dinners could be things like pancakes
for dinner. Sometimes we even do cereal (warm or cold, individual
choice) for dinner on weekends since we're usually all tuckered out
by evening.
> 7. Learn the rules of "the grocery game"Yup - also, minimizing the meat budget (if your family is willing)
> we could take advantage of meat sales and other good produce sales.
> We have enough groceries in our house to feed us for several weeks
> (sans milk, eggs, bread and fresh produce) without having to go
> shopping and we have spent no more than we normally would (and I
> didn't have to shop at Walmart to do so - I LOATHE that store!)
can also save bundles of money if you've traditionally been big on
the meat menu. We typically have a couple of pounds of ground meat
(preferably turkey but whatever was at a good price will do) and one
or two whole chickens and a package of thighs or breasts in the
freezer maybe some hot dogs and that's it. Things like stir frys and
fajitas can feed a family of 5 or 6 on 1 lb of meat. Ditto for
beanful chilis and veggie ful stews. Our one big budget item in this
area is buying fresh fish - and using it the next day (so it doesn't
get fishy). Right now, too, we are spending more for milk with
deliberation because it is from a local farmer's co-op (one of the
farms is about a mile up the road from us). We want it to stay a
family farm and not get condo'd or whatever so we are specifically
willing to pay more for it - and it is also helping us to cut back
some on our dairy intake as well. We get a set amount each week and
when it's gone, that's it until the next shopping trip (for milk and
fresh stuff).
Another thing that I used to do (back in the poor college days when
gas was cheap - we lived in OK and back then gas was about 60 to 75
cents per gallon, it hit $1 and we were shocked): shop at more than
one grocery store. There was one store that had good, inexpensive
meats, another that had really good sales on canned and frozen foods
most of the time, and a third where I'd buy the produce and dairy
products. I'd also add a stop as needed at a local whole
foods/healthy foods market (Akins for any of y'all out that way) for
things like whole grain flours and such. And, I'd do a stop at Sam's
Club for bulk items like toilet paper and cleaning supplies - that
was roughly once a quarter or so. So, while DH was at home making
dough stuff on Saturdays, I would spend several hours going from
store to store - for each store, I'd write the list on the outside
of a plain white business envelope and tuck in any "saver card" and
coupons for that store. when I arrived at the location, I'd grab the
appropriately labelled envelope and go. It took time, for sure,
since I'd make the list of what we needed to buy, then I'd check all
the circulars for where to get each item, cut coupons, and do all
that on Friday evening. Then I'd take it all and head out Saturday
after breakfast (between 8 and 9 usually) and I'd get home somewhere
between 11 and 12. Back then we had lots more time than we did money
(and it was before DS was born). Now we have more money and less
time.
Speaking of which, looking around online to find alternative ways of
cleaning around the house (vinegar and water rubbed with a sheet of
newsprint is supposed to be great for cleaning glass for example)
would cut the really expensive household cleanser budget. Oh, and we
picked up a big pack of 'bar rags' (or 'bar towels') at Sam's Club a
while back - basic, cheap, white, cotton/terry washcloths like they
use to wipe bars with. They are reusable (ours are still going
strong after about 2 years or more) and can handle everything from
scrubbing the sink to washing grubby feet to dusting the furniture
to being used for blowing noses during allergy and flu seasons.
--Deb
Angela S.
With regard to horses, I would drop in at all the local stables and offer to
help in anyway you can in order to just be around the horses. Even if it's
a small family owned farm with a few horses, they may welcome the help. It
doesn't hurt to ask. Maybe you'll shovel stalls for a while but maybe it
might work into working for lessons or riding time if you are good workers.
Also, watching horse shows is usually free. Find a local club or look
online for a schedule of shows in your area. Join a horse 4H, they are
usually almost free and it gives you the opportunity to meet up with other
horse crazy kids and adults who might be willing to share their horses with
you.
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
help in anyway you can in order to just be around the horses. Even if it's
a small family owned farm with a few horses, they may welcome the help. It
doesn't hurt to ask. Maybe you'll shovel stalls for a while but maybe it
might work into working for lessons or riding time if you are good workers.
Also, watching horse shows is usually free. Find a local club or look
online for a schedule of shows in your area. Join a horse 4H, they are
usually almost free and it gives you the opportunity to meet up with other
horse crazy kids and adults who might be willing to share their horses with
you.
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Deb
--- In [email protected], "Michelle/Melbrigða"
<pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
really save money if the majority of what we buy is not typical mfr
coupon items? For instance, the bulk of our food budget goes to
things like fresh produce, flour (we stock up when it's on sale and
pop it in the freezer), rice, milk, dry beans, and the like - we're
trying to do more and more organics as well in all food areas. Even
the cereal we buy(since cereal is a mid aisle item) is rarely a
coupon item since it is not General Mills or Post or the other big
names that do lots of coupons. We even stopped getting the Sunday
paper because we simply were not finding any useful coupons week
after week - they seemed to be, for the most part, good on stuff
like boxed mac & cheese, canned soups, frozen pizzas, and the like.
None of which we buy.
If it'll save us more than it costs, it could be worthwhile to check
into but I wanted some feedback first.
Thanks
--Deb
<pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
>Michelle, I checked out the website and I have a question: does this
> 7. Learn the rules of "the grocery game" (
>http://www.grocerygame.com
really save money if the majority of what we buy is not typical mfr
coupon items? For instance, the bulk of our food budget goes to
things like fresh produce, flour (we stock up when it's on sale and
pop it in the freezer), rice, milk, dry beans, and the like - we're
trying to do more and more organics as well in all food areas. Even
the cereal we buy(since cereal is a mid aisle item) is rarely a
coupon item since it is not General Mills or Post or the other big
names that do lots of coupons. We even stopped getting the Sunday
paper because we simply were not finding any useful coupons week
after week - they seemed to be, for the most part, good on stuff
like boxed mac & cheese, canned soups, frozen pizzas, and the like.
None of which we buy.
If it'll save us more than it costs, it could be worthwhile to check
into but I wanted some feedback first.
Thanks
--Deb
Michelle/Melbrigða
On 8/23/06, Deb <soggyboysmom@...> wrote:
the message board for GG you will see people who regularly save 50+% a
week. I have only done that once and it was a fairly small shopping
trip where I was only purchasing items on the list (no extra bag of
chocolate chips or carton of milk.) I find I have to scour the paper
for what is on sale. For instance on Wednesdays when the sale flyers
come out in our paper, I look through to see what Winn Dixie,
Albertson's and Food World all have on sale this week. (I generally
shop at WD and do Alb. and FW when there is a big sale on something
and then only get that item.) I look at what is on sale in produce
and plan meals around those items. So one week we have lots of
brocolli and the next week we have more "stew" veggies, etc. When red
onions (the prefered ones in our house) go on sale I buy a couple and
chop them up and put them into small bags (those cheap non zip ones
like I remember using for freezing veggies work great). Same with
green pepper.
Most of my family eats meat, so what ever meat is "buy 1 get 1 free"
that week I will get 4 packages and freeze 3 using one fresh that
week. Maybe the next week there isn't much meat I want on sale (we
don't eat a lot of beef, mostly chicken, pork and boca - poor little
boca birds) We do a lot of "scratch" cooking, so we purchase few
pre-packaged foods. The kids even prefer organic mac-n-cheese. We
shop at a natural food co-op as well as the regular grocery store, so
there are some things (like milk, eggs, chocolate, and coffee - which
must be organic and fair trade) that we just suck up and buy at
regular price. But our co-op does have sales on things, but we have
found that instead of being on sale for a week, they are on sale for a
month at a time, which actually makes stocking up on those items
easier because I can buy an extra 2 or 3 this week and then an extra 2
or 3 the following week. I did that with mac-n-cheese and shredded
wheat last month.
You don't really *need* the grocery game to tell you how to shop. I
think they have some good guidelines that you can learn from. Some
weeks we only use 1 or 2 coupons and some weeks we use none at all.
It is very rare that I have 5-10 coupons, but I still save between
33%-40% each week. It took us a few weeks to build a stockpile, now
when we see our favorite foods on sale, we always buy a few extra.
I've got quite a few blocks of cheese in the freezer. I'm always
looking for deals for organic flour (or at the very least King Arthur
flour) and, like you, I throw an extra 5 or 10 lbs into the freezer.
It's all about being aware of what things normally cost, knowing when
things are on sale, and taking advantage of sales when they come up so
that you buy more than what you need just this week. There are some
things, though, that I just have never seen on sale like Polerna fruit
spread and natural peanut butter. But the savings I have from other
things make up for those.
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
> --- In [email protected], "Michelle/Melbrigða"Actually, yes, but I have found that the discounts aren't as deep. On
> <pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
> >
> > 7. Learn the rules of "the grocery game" (
> >http://www.grocerygame.com
> Michelle, I checked out the website and I have a question: does this
> really save money if the majority of what we buy is not typical mfr
> coupon items?
the message board for GG you will see people who regularly save 50+% a
week. I have only done that once and it was a fairly small shopping
trip where I was only purchasing items on the list (no extra bag of
chocolate chips or carton of milk.) I find I have to scour the paper
for what is on sale. For instance on Wednesdays when the sale flyers
come out in our paper, I look through to see what Winn Dixie,
Albertson's and Food World all have on sale this week. (I generally
shop at WD and do Alb. and FW when there is a big sale on something
and then only get that item.) I look at what is on sale in produce
and plan meals around those items. So one week we have lots of
brocolli and the next week we have more "stew" veggies, etc. When red
onions (the prefered ones in our house) go on sale I buy a couple and
chop them up and put them into small bags (those cheap non zip ones
like I remember using for freezing veggies work great). Same with
green pepper.
Most of my family eats meat, so what ever meat is "buy 1 get 1 free"
that week I will get 4 packages and freeze 3 using one fresh that
week. Maybe the next week there isn't much meat I want on sale (we
don't eat a lot of beef, mostly chicken, pork and boca - poor little
boca birds) We do a lot of "scratch" cooking, so we purchase few
pre-packaged foods. The kids even prefer organic mac-n-cheese. We
shop at a natural food co-op as well as the regular grocery store, so
there are some things (like milk, eggs, chocolate, and coffee - which
must be organic and fair trade) that we just suck up and buy at
regular price. But our co-op does have sales on things, but we have
found that instead of being on sale for a week, they are on sale for a
month at a time, which actually makes stocking up on those items
easier because I can buy an extra 2 or 3 this week and then an extra 2
or 3 the following week. I did that with mac-n-cheese and shredded
wheat last month.
You don't really *need* the grocery game to tell you how to shop. I
think they have some good guidelines that you can learn from. Some
weeks we only use 1 or 2 coupons and some weeks we use none at all.
It is very rare that I have 5-10 coupons, but I still save between
33%-40% each week. It took us a few weeks to build a stockpile, now
when we see our favorite foods on sale, we always buy a few extra.
I've got quite a few blocks of cheese in the freezer. I'm always
looking for deals for organic flour (or at the very least King Arthur
flour) and, like you, I throw an extra 5 or 10 lbs into the freezer.
It's all about being aware of what things normally cost, knowing when
things are on sale, and taking advantage of sales when they come up so
that you buy more than what you need just this week. There are some
things, though, that I just have never seen on sale like Polerna fruit
spread and natural peanut butter. But the savings I have from other
things make up for those.
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
cmcchess
Wow! You all have really got me thinking now!
I did want to add one money saving tip we do:
Buy a whole or half beef and freeze it. We have done this for 2 years
now and ended up paying $1.65/lb for everything. That's a little high
for ground beef, but great for sirloin, filet, and ribs, etc.
Plus the beef is healthy-free range (whatever that means for a cow),
and local.
I did want to add one money saving tip we do:
Buy a whole or half beef and freeze it. We have done this for 2 years
now and ended up paying $1.65/lb for everything. That's a little high
for ground beef, but great for sirloin, filet, and ribs, etc.
Plus the beef is healthy-free range (whatever that means for a cow),
and local.
Michelle/Melbrigða
On 8/23/06, cmcchess <queen30@...> wrote:
conditions. They are free to roam pasutres and have plenty of open
space. They usually will come in at evening for whatever grain food
they are fed (to supplement grazing) Most cattle that is butchered
for mass consumer markets are kept very tightly packed. They feed off
only partial whole grain and are fed a highly processed "cow chow"
that has corn (not a native food for cattle) and sometimes rendered
beef bi-products (cow cannibalism). Free range cows are less likely
to get diseases as they have fresh air to breathe and are generally
cared for better.
We purchase free range eggs and chicken and they taste much better (or
at least I can vouche for the eggs, the kids say the chicken tastes
better too). Free range chickens have eggs that have thicker shells
as they aren't fed hormones which cause them to mass produce thinner
shelled eggs. The advantage of this is that the eggs have a longer
shelf life.
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
>Free range means that the cows aren't kept cooped up in tight
> Plus the beef is healthy-free range (whatever that means for a cow),
> and local.
>
conditions. They are free to roam pasutres and have plenty of open
space. They usually will come in at evening for whatever grain food
they are fed (to supplement grazing) Most cattle that is butchered
for mass consumer markets are kept very tightly packed. They feed off
only partial whole grain and are fed a highly processed "cow chow"
that has corn (not a native food for cattle) and sometimes rendered
beef bi-products (cow cannibalism). Free range cows are less likely
to get diseases as they have fresh air to breathe and are generally
cared for better.
We purchase free range eggs and chicken and they taste much better (or
at least I can vouche for the eggs, the kids say the chicken tastes
better too). Free range chickens have eggs that have thicker shells
as they aren't fed hormones which cause them to mass produce thinner
shelled eggs. The advantage of this is that the eggs have a longer
shelf life.
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
Schafer Vanessa
Michelle,
Where do you get free range beef, chicken and eggs? I
have never heard of this before.
--- Michelle/Melbrigða <pamperedmichelle@...>
wrote:
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
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Where do you get free range beef, chicken and eggs? I
have never heard of this before.
--- Michelle/Melbrigða <pamperedmichelle@...>
wrote:
> On 8/23/06, cmcchess <queen30@...> wrote:Vanessa
> >
> > Plus the beef is healthy-free range (whatever that
> means for a cow),
> > and local.
> >
>
> Free range means that the cows aren't kept cooped up
> in tight
> conditions. They are free to roam pasutres and have
> plenty of open
> space. They usually will come in at evening for
> whatever grain food
> they are fed (to supplement grazing) Most cattle
> that is butchered
> for mass consumer markets are kept very tightly
> packed. They feed off
> only partial whole grain and are fed a highly
> processed "cow chow"
> that has corn (not a native food for cattle) and
> sometimes rendered
> beef bi-products (cow cannibalism). Free range cows
> are less likely
> to get diseases as they have fresh air to breathe
> and are generally
> cared for better.
>
> We purchase free range eggs and chicken and they
> taste much better (or
> at least I can vouche for the eggs, the kids say the
> chicken tastes
> better too). Free range chickens have eggs that
> have thicker shells
> as they aren't fed hormones which cause them to mass
> produce thinner
> shelled eggs. The advantage of this is that the
> eggs have a longer
> shelf life.
>
> --
> Michelle
> aka Melbrigða
> http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
> [email protected] - Homeschooling for the
> Medieval Recreationist
>
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
Michelle/Melbrigða
On 8/24/06, Schafer Vanessa <psychomom95@...> wrote:
carries a free range egg. When we used to shop at Wal-mart (it's been
a LONG time) they even had free range eggs.
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
> Michelle,We get ours from our health food store. Even our grocery store now
>
> Where do you get free range beef, chicken and eggs? I
> have never heard of this before.
>
carries a free range egg. When we used to shop at Wal-mart (it's been
a LONG time) they even had free range eggs.
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
Deb
--- In [email protected], "Michelle/Melbrigða"
<pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
bunch and freeze them in stir fry/fajita size strips. The only
problem we've had with that is that once they're frozen they can
only be used cooked. So, like you, we'll have some fresh pepper
dishes that week and then cooked pepper dishes the rest of the time.
Onions don't seem to have the same problem - though we rarely use
them raw, since the taste is too strong for DS and sometimes even I
don't want the raw onion.
are the big blocks of Velveeta when they are on sale - makes great
mac & cheese and we try to use organic pasta and balance the
Velveeta out with other stuff (veggies in the mac & cheese, salads,
etc).
there and I just don't know they exist). The best price/quality
natural foods are a good 30 to 45 minute highway drive and with the
price of gas, it's just not worth the gas money - especially because
our grocery store (Big Y) is starting to stock a lot more organic
foods throughout the store. The one we go to is 5 minutes from the
house and is in a very "upscale-ish" neighboring town close to a
major university - both of which are very organic, green, whole food
type market niches.
well - they are on special for longer time frames. However, since we
only do a major grocery shopping once every 3 weeks or so, I have to
watch for stuff because it may not be on special 3 weeks later.
what kinds just don't freeze for beans? DS is a cheese lover (we
have, at last count, 5 kinds of cheese in the fridge and that's
because we ran out of 3 or 4 already). We like fresh parmesan,
ricotta, cheddar, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, provolone, cream cheese
(I'm pretty sure that's not a good candidate for the freezer), Swiss
(a gruyere and ementhaler fondue is one of our favorite meals), and
sometimes cottage cheese (that's more of a come and go thing than a
regular because of the sodium level).
little-used coffee grinder and just buying peanuts to grind up for
peanut butter. But it hasn't happened yet. We had some name-brand PB
leftover from a recipe DH made for a gathering (the hydrogenated
stuff really makes a better texture in this recipe) and when DH made
a sandwich with it (to use it up), he had to get rid of it - he
couldn't eat it, he said it tasted like eating lard (which it mostly
is).
So, aside from the couponing, it's just a matter of judicious
shopping techniques. Got it.
Thanks
--Deb
<pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
>Yup - especially when the red bell peppers go on sale - we buy a
>>
> Actually, yes, but I have found that the discounts aren't as
>deep. ... I find I have to scour the paper
> for what is on sale. For instance on Wednesdays when the sale
>flyers
> come out in our paper, I look through to see what Winn Dixie,
> Albertson's and Food World all have on sale this week. (I
>generally
> shop at WD and do Alb. and FW when there is a big sale on something
> and then only get that item.) I look at what is on sale in produce
> and plan meals around those items. So one week we have lots of
> brocolli and the next week we have more "stew" veggies, etc. When
>red
> onions (the prefered ones in our house) go on sale I buy a couple
>and
> chop them up and put them into small bags (those cheap non zip ones
> like I remember using for freezing veggies work great). Same with
> green pepper.
bunch and freeze them in stir fry/fajita size strips. The only
problem we've had with that is that once they're frozen they can
only be used cooked. So, like you, we'll have some fresh pepper
dishes that week and then cooked pepper dishes the rest of the time.
Onions don't seem to have the same problem - though we rarely use
them raw, since the taste is too strong for DS and sometimes even I
don't want the raw onion.
> Most of my family eats meat, so what ever meat is "buy 1 get 1Yup - us too - mostly from scratch. One thing we do go ahead and buy
>free"
> that week I will get 4 packages and freeze 3 using one fresh that
> week. Maybe the next week there isn't much meat I want on sale (we
> don't eat a lot of beef, mostly chicken, pork and boca - poor
>little
> boca birds) We do a lot of "scratch" cooking, so we purchase few
> pre-packaged foods.
are the big blocks of Velveeta when they are on sale - makes great
mac & cheese and we try to use organic pasta and balance the
Velveeta out with other stuff (veggies in the mac & cheese, salads,
etc).
>The kids even prefer organic mac-n-cheese. WeNo readily accessible co-ops near us that I know of (they might be
> shop at a natural food co-op as well as the regular grocery store,
>so
> there are some things (like milk, eggs, chocolate, and coffee -
>which
> must be organic and fair trade) that we just suck up and buy at
> regular price.
there and I just don't know they exist). The best price/quality
natural foods are a good 30 to 45 minute highway drive and with the
price of gas, it's just not worth the gas money - especially because
our grocery store (Big Y) is starting to stock a lot more organic
foods throughout the store. The one we go to is 5 minutes from the
house and is in a very "upscale-ish" neighboring town close to a
major university - both of which are very organic, green, whole food
type market niches.
> found that instead of being on sale for a week, they are on saleThat is nice - I've seen our grocery do that with some things as
>for a
> month at a time, which actually makes stocking up on those items
> easier because I can buy an extra 2 or 3 this week and then an
>extra 2
> or 3 the following week. I did that with mac-n-cheese and shredded
> wheat last month.
well - they are on special for longer time frames. However, since we
only do a major grocery shopping once every 3 weeks or so, I have to
watch for stuff because it may not be on special 3 weeks later.
> I've got quite a few blocks of cheese in the freezer.How well does the cheese do in the freezer? What kinds work best and
what kinds just don't freeze for beans? DS is a cheese lover (we
have, at last count, 5 kinds of cheese in the fridge and that's
because we ran out of 3 or 4 already). We like fresh parmesan,
ricotta, cheddar, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, provolone, cream cheese
(I'm pretty sure that's not a good candidate for the freezer), Swiss
(a gruyere and ementhaler fondue is one of our favorite meals), and
sometimes cottage cheese (that's more of a come and go thing than a
regular because of the sodium level).
>and natural peanut butter.Yeah - that's a toughie. DH keeps bringing up cleaning out our now-
little-used coffee grinder and just buying peanuts to grind up for
peanut butter. But it hasn't happened yet. We had some name-brand PB
leftover from a recipe DH made for a gathering (the hydrogenated
stuff really makes a better texture in this recipe) and when DH made
a sandwich with it (to use it up), he had to get rid of it - he
couldn't eat it, he said it tasted like eating lard (which it mostly
is).
So, aside from the couponing, it's just a matter of judicious
shopping techniques. Got it.
Thanks
--Deb
John and Amanda Slater
Michelle/Melbrigða <pamperedmichelle@...> wrote: On 8/24/06, Schafer Vanessa <psychomom95@...> wrote:
Amanda
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> Michelle,I just saw free range chicken by Tyson, I think. Laura's is what we buy for beef. Both are at Krogers.
>
> Where do you get free range beef, chicken and eggs? I
> have never heard of this before.
>
Amanda
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Michelle/Melbrigða
On 8/24/06, Deb <soggyboysmom@...> wrote:
belong to our co-op who live over an hour away (only large natural
food co-op grocer in a wide area) but they come once a month or every
6 weeks to stock up on those things that they just can't get. Not
sure if you are in an area that would have an Ozark co-op. I've been
in one of those when we lived in Mobile and couldn't get to P'cola for
organic and natural foods (and even though Mobile is a larger town
than P'cola, it had only an itty bitty health food store with a very
limited selection.) http://www.ozarkcoop.com/ You buy by the case
(or, like we did, go in with someone else to split a case). Much more
affordable. One co-op had a minimum purchase each month and another
had enough members that we always made the minimum. You can even
begin one yourself and get your neighbors and friends involved in it.
especially because
selection of foods than the one by the mall or the one that is on the
verge of being in the boonies. :)
cheddar, cheddar jack, colby, swiss, all kinds. Ricotta actually
freezes ok if you are using in a cooked recipe later (I find it
sometimes seperates when frozen but you can whip it back together in a
recipe). When we find shredded cheese on a fantastic deal we will buy
packs of that and freeze it. Most of the time you can use it straight
out of the freezer that way. The worse experience we had with
freezing cheese was when we froze a wax incased gouda. When it froze,
the cheese and wax separated and when it thawed condensation formed
between the layers and it was just icky.
Now having said all that most cheese benefits from just being left to
age. Remember that people in history didn't have refrigeration as we
do today and kept their cheese at cool temperatures (usually in a root
cellar or basement where it was cooler in the summers) and would
either seal their cheese in wax or wrap it in cloth and let a "rind"
form on the outside of the cheese. If you are having a hard time
keeping cheese fresh (which Deb does not sound like a problem in your
house) or if your cheese molds quickly, it isn't because of air it is
because of humidity. The US is about the only country that wraps
cheese in plastic. Most countries keep their cheese wrapped in a tea
towel or aluminium foil. Since we quit wrapping in plastic our cheese
has kept much better (we use all kinds of things like paper towels,
tea towels and aluminium.
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
> No readily accessible co-ops near us that I know of (they might beIt might be worth a trip to see what they have. I know people who
> there and I just don't know they exist). The best price/quality
> natural foods are a good 30 to 45 minute highway drive and with the
> price of gas, it's just not worth the gas money -
belong to our co-op who live over an hour away (only large natural
food co-op grocer in a wide area) but they come once a month or every
6 weeks to stock up on those things that they just can't get. Not
sure if you are in an area that would have an Ozark co-op. I've been
in one of those when we lived in Mobile and couldn't get to P'cola for
organic and natural foods (and even though Mobile is a larger town
than P'cola, it had only an itty bitty health food store with a very
limited selection.) http://www.ozarkcoop.com/ You buy by the case
(or, like we did, go in with someone else to split a case). Much more
affordable. One co-op had a minimum purchase each month and another
had enough members that we always made the minimum. You can even
begin one yourself and get your neighbors and friends involved in it.
especially because
> our grocery store (Big Y) is starting to stock a lot more organicThat helps. The Albertson's that is by our college has a much nicer
> foods throughout the store. The one we go to is 5 minutes from the
> house and is in a very "upscale-ish" neighboring town close to a
> major university - both of which are very organic, green, whole food
> type market niches.
selection of foods than the one by the mall or the one that is on the
verge of being in the boonies. :)
> How well does the cheese do in the freezer? What kinds work best andThe harder the cheese the better it freezes. We've frozen parmesan,
> what kinds just don't freeze for beans?
cheddar, cheddar jack, colby, swiss, all kinds. Ricotta actually
freezes ok if you are using in a cooked recipe later (I find it
sometimes seperates when frozen but you can whip it back together in a
recipe). When we find shredded cheese on a fantastic deal we will buy
packs of that and freeze it. Most of the time you can use it straight
out of the freezer that way. The worse experience we had with
freezing cheese was when we froze a wax incased gouda. When it froze,
the cheese and wax separated and when it thawed condensation formed
between the layers and it was just icky.
Now having said all that most cheese benefits from just being left to
age. Remember that people in history didn't have refrigeration as we
do today and kept their cheese at cool temperatures (usually in a root
cellar or basement where it was cooler in the summers) and would
either seal their cheese in wax or wrap it in cloth and let a "rind"
form on the outside of the cheese. If you are having a hard time
keeping cheese fresh (which Deb does not sound like a problem in your
house) or if your cheese molds quickly, it isn't because of air it is
because of humidity. The US is about the only country that wraps
cheese in plastic. Most countries keep their cheese wrapped in a tea
towel or aluminium foil. Since we quit wrapping in plastic our cheese
has kept much better (we use all kinds of things like paper towels,
tea towels and aluminium.
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
Deb
--- In [email protected], "Michelle/Melbrigða"
<pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
from there (it's the ONLY place I have ever found raclette cheese),
they aren't the everyday type items we use lots and lots of.
Although, as we've been using more and more flour (now that DH has
the bread machine out), I'm thinking of maybe a stocking up trip
over there for some good flours. Between the amount of time and the
cost of gas, we just haven't bothered.
homeschoolers/unschoolers we know, if there was one, we'd likely
have heard. We're way up here in New England. I'm guessing that if
we did order, the shipping would be worse than driving over to the
nearest whole foods type store.
buy meats. It was the only place that had consistently fresh ground
turkey.
dangerously" budget wise because DS has become quite specific in
which kinds of some things he will eat - he prefers grating his own
parmesan or at least having the fresh grated kind, not the stuff in
the green package that is mostly fillers; he will not eat 'pancake
syrup' but only real maple syrup from a tree; and he has taken a
liking to sushi!
for it too. So that would work.
moldy - unless we have a partially used cheese that sits a bit in
humid weather.
or if your cheese molds quickly, it isn't because of air it is
when you freeze it or do you 'bundle it up' against the cold?
I love getting new tips and hints
--Deb
<pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
>We've been there on occasion and there are a couple things we like
> It might be worth a trip to see what they have.
from there (it's the ONLY place I have ever found raclette cheese),
they aren't the everyday type items we use lots and lots of.
Although, as we've been using more and more flour (now that DH has
the bread machine out), I'm thinking of maybe a stocking up trip
over there for some good flours. Between the amount of time and the
cost of gas, we just haven't bothered.
>an Ozark co-op.Nope - never heard of it - and with some of the
homeschoolers/unschoolers we know, if there was one, we'd likely
have heard. We're way up here in New England. I'm guessing that if
we did order, the shipping would be worse than driving over to the
nearest whole foods type store.
> That helps. The Albertson's that is by our college has a muchwhen we lived in OKC, the Albertson's was the only store where I'd
buy meats. It was the only place that had consistently fresh ground
turkey.
>Hard cheese, best freeze - got it (and it rhymes!)
> > How well does the cheese do in the freezer? What kinds work best
>and
> > what kinds just don't freeze for beans?
>
> The harder the cheese the better it freezes.
> We've frozen parmesan,Those are all common at our house. We're actually "living
> cheddar, cheddar jack, colby, swiss, all kinds.
dangerously" budget wise because DS has become quite specific in
which kinds of some things he will eat - he prefers grating his own
parmesan or at least having the fresh grated kind, not the stuff in
the green package that is mostly fillers; he will not eat 'pancake
syrup' but only real maple syrup from a tree; and he has taken a
liking to sushi!
>Ricotta actuallyDH makes an awesome veggie lasagna - makes his own whole wheat pasta
> freezes ok if you are using in a cooked recipe later (I find it
> sometimes seperates when frozen but you can whip it back together
>in a
> recipe).
for it too. So that would work.
>When we find shredded cheese on a fantastic deal we will buySo freezing the wax cased kind can be problematic - got it
> packs of that and freeze it. Most of the time you can use it
>straight
> out of the freezer that way. The worse experience we had with
> freezing cheese was when we froze a wax incased gouda. When it
>froze,
> the cheese and wax separated and when it thawed condensation formed
> between the layers and it was just icky.
> Now having said all that most cheese benefits from just being leftUnless you don't like the sharpness most aged cheeses acquire
>to
> age.
> If you are having a hard timeLOL yeah it's a rarity that any cheese lasts long enough to get
> keeping cheese fresh (which Deb does not sound like a problem in
>your
> house)
moldy - unless we have a partially used cheese that sits a bit in
humid weather.
or if your cheese molds quickly, it isn't because of air it is
> because of humidity. The US is about the only country that wrapsOr cheese cloth?
> cheese in plastic. Most countries keep their cheese wrapped in a
>tea
> towel
> Since we quit wrapping in plastic our cheeseWe'll have to give that a try. Do you still just wrap it like that
> has kept much better (we use all kinds of things like paper towels,
> tea towels and aluminium.
when you freeze it or do you 'bundle it up' against the cold?
I love getting new tips and hints
--Deb
Michelle/Melbrigða
On 8/24/06, John and Amanda Slater <fourslaterz@...> wrote:
Phosphates, sodium, and other things that don't naturally occur in
chicken. I much prefer to purchase meats from companies that do 100%
natural rather than play upon a "trend" It's like buying organic
Ragu spaghetti sauce. I'd much prefer to buy Newman's Own which only
sells organic products.
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
>Tyson is notorious for adding "solutions" to their chicken.
> I just saw free range chicken by Tyson, I think. Laura's is what we buy for beef. Both are at Krogers.
>
Phosphates, sodium, and other things that don't naturally occur in
chicken. I much prefer to purchase meats from companies that do 100%
natural rather than play upon a "trend" It's like buying organic
Ragu spaghetti sauce. I'd much prefer to buy Newman's Own which only
sells organic products.
--
Michelle
aka Melbrigða
http://eventualknitting.blogspot.com
[email protected] - Homeschooling for the Medieval Recreationist
Deb
--- In [email protected], "Michelle/Melbrigða"
<pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
Own lemonade and saw High fructose corn syrup right up at the top of
the list. I like to buy their stuff especially since we're in Newmans'
Own home territory - CT.
--Deb
<pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
>I'd much prefer to buy Newman's Own which onlyI was highly disappointed when I checked the ingredients of Newman's
> sells organic products.
>
Own lemonade and saw High fructose corn syrup right up at the top of
the list. I like to buy their stuff especially since we're in Newmans'
Own home territory - CT.
--Deb
Deb
--- In [email protected], "cmcchess" <queen30@...>
wrote:
beef, this is definitely a great idea.
Buying whole chickens and turkeys and cutting them up yourself is also
a money saver - we often buy two or three whole, smallish, turkeys
around Thanksgiving and Christmas when they are really cheap and cut
them up ourselves and/or roast them up and then use the already cooked
meat in various ways.
Look around at tag sales for old fashioned meat grinders (looks like
workshop equipment lol) or check to see if your food processor has a
setting/blade that can do coarse grinds of cubed meats. That way you
can buy chunks of meat and grind your own instead of paying for them
to make ground meat (more processing = higher cost generally). Also,
many places will cut or grind or butcher your selection at no cost -
so you can pick a fresh chicken or turkey and have them cut it up for
you instead of buying the prepackaged legs, thighs, breasts, each
separately. And keep the bones! They are the basis for soup stocks.
--Deb
wrote:
> Buy a whole or half beef and freeze it.For people who (a) have space for a chest freezer (b) eat a lot of
beef, this is definitely a great idea.
Buying whole chickens and turkeys and cutting them up yourself is also
a money saver - we often buy two or three whole, smallish, turkeys
around Thanksgiving and Christmas when they are really cheap and cut
them up ourselves and/or roast them up and then use the already cooked
meat in various ways.
Look around at tag sales for old fashioned meat grinders (looks like
workshop equipment lol) or check to see if your food processor has a
setting/blade that can do coarse grinds of cubed meats. That way you
can buy chunks of meat and grind your own instead of paying for them
to make ground meat (more processing = higher cost generally). Also,
many places will cut or grind or butcher your selection at no cost -
so you can pick a fresh chicken or turkey and have them cut it up for
you instead of buying the prepackaged legs, thighs, breasts, each
separately. And keep the bones! They are the basis for soup stocks.
--Deb